Oakenhill Railway Cutting

Oakenhill Railway Cutting
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Location within Gloucestershire
Area of Search Gloucestershire
Grid reference SO630069
Coordinates 51°45′36″N 2°32′12″W / 51.760007°N 2.536763°W / 51.760007; -2.536763Coordinates: 51°45′36″N 2°32′12″W / 51.760007°N 2.536763°W / 51.760007; -2.536763
Interest Geological
Area 0.81 hectare
Notification 1985
Natural England website

Oakenhill Railway Cutting (grid reference SO630069) is a 0.81-hectare (2.0-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1985.[1][2]

The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).[3]

Location and geology

The site is in the Forest of Dean near Yorkley and adjacent to Oakenhill Wood, and provides significant exposures of rock outcrops of the Carboniferous age. They were formed some 300 million years ago. The exposures are mostly shale layers which are separated by thin sandstones or coals. They are known as the Supra Pennant Group, and are a subdivision of the Coal Measures. The site is the only exposure of this kind in the Forest of Dean, and supports research into the geological development of the area through its fossil content. The area is central in relation to other Coal Measures in southern Britain.[1]

References

SSSI Source


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